Painted Patio Tile DIY

It's always bittersweet to move from one house to another. With our new house in Nashville we moved to last year, there are definitely a few things I like a lot better about the new place (more space, better bathroom layouts, more natural light) and a few things I wasn't as thrilled about (smaller closets and no kitchen counter space to name a few). One of the things I really missed from our last house was the backyard setup that we had with a wooden deck area and a pergola covered patio area as well. Our new house only has a small cement patio off the back porch and not much else to speak of. So I really wanted to give the area a bit of help to make it feel like a cozy space.

One of my favorite things I did at our last house was paint a rather elaborate painted rug on our patio, and since I was so happy with that result, I thought another painted floor might be just the solution at this house as well. Rather than a rug, I wanted to try a black and white tile pattern instead, and after a few hours of inspiration scouring, I decided that a slightly amended version of this beautiful tiled patio would be just right for the space. Once I had the pattern picked out, it was time to roll up my sleeves and get to work!

Before painting the concrete area, I cleaned the concrete with a degreaser/etcher (I used this one) and a long-handled stiff broom. The cleaner helps remove grease and makes the concrete more porous for paint adhesion.

Once the paint was dry (I gave it a day to set), I used painter's tape and a tape measure to mark off 8 even segments all the way around the concrete so it would be 64 segments total. Since my concrete wasn't a perfect square, my tiles are rectangles and not squares, but I didn't want to have any "half tiles" somewhere. So I adjusted them to fit the space, and it still keeps the same overall vibe.

With the sections marked off around the edge, I was able to tape off whole rows at a time by connecting the marks to the corresponding ones on the other side of the concrete. Once I had a row, I could tape off the smaller sections within the row as well.

Since the "tiles" are supposed to be touching, I worked on painting every other row and every other square (with Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black) until the whole area was filled in. So, as in the photo above, I worked on rows 2, 4, 6, and 8 and taped off and painted every other tile in those rows.

Once those triangles were dry (2 coats of paint), I removed the vertical and angled smaller lines of tape but left the long horizontal lines of tape marking off the whole row. Once I added new vertical and diagonal lines, I could fill in those triangles as well until the whole row was complete.

Now that half the rows are done, the pattern is starting to take shape and I removed all the tape so far.

Since half my lines are filled in, I basically taped off every other square in the blank rows by simply connecting the existing triangles in the other rows. Once I painted those in, removed the tape and repeated with the other sections, my floor was almost complete!

Since the concrete is rougher and smoother in different parts, I had a few rough spots where the paint bled under the painter's tape. So I used a wide craft brush to simply touch up the line with some of the white paint.Once I did my touchups, my floor was complete!

AGGGHH! I love it!! The space is feeling SO much better with the faux tile, and I love how the pops of green plants stand out against the pattern. Projects like this can be a lot of work, but the saved money vs. tiling and the happiness payoff are pretty big deals. I also decided to rig up a patio lighting system that didn't require a pergola. I'll show you how I did that soon, but I can't wait to spend a few end-of-summer evenings outside on this baby! xo. Laura

This is so effective Laura – it looks fantastic!! I’m looking forward to seeing how you rigged up your lights too (we don’t have a pergola either but would like to add some lighting in our backyard and haven’t worked out how yet).

Well, it’s new so I don’t know yet! I was surprised at how well my painted rug held up over the year before we moved, but any paint job that is outside and walked on will probably need an occasion touch up but I”m ok with that 🙂

Ohhhh myyy god Laura. You have outdone yourself with this!!! I’m practically speechless. I love everything on ABM but I have to say, your DIYs are my absolute favorite! You are so creative and your execution is always flawless & downright inspiring. I can’t WAIT to see more of your house

I painted my the cement floor of my front porch a few years ago, gave it three clear coats to protect it. It still shows a bit of wear in the most trafficked area (steps to door) but the design I used has more of an old world feel so the wear works in it’s own way.

This is simply amazing, Laura! Honestly, your DIYs are head and shoulders above anything else at ABM. I do not mean this to be disrespectful to the rest of the ABM team, but there is a massive difference in creativity and usefulness that stands out to any discerning reader. I saw that first photo and immediately knew this was yours. If you ever want another career, I think you have a business sitting right there in front of you!

that looks so amazing, especially with all those greens! i wish such things could exist like that in pa, but everything is pretty much florals and not succulents or cacti that can stay outside. enjoy your space!
b

The patio looks amazing, you are so talented. I might do mine some day. I am a bit confused about the paint colors though. Was it painted in 2 coats of white or light gray color? The “porch and floor paint” referenced was light gray , but the comment “I left the white untinted” makes me think it is white. And I am pretty sure the dark color is black, correct? (Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black)

I live in PNW, too (Portland to be exact) and I painted our outdoor tile patio three years ago when we moved into your apts. The paint held up quite well, but the taller, rougher gritty spots wore with time, and in some low spots moss has started to grow. The bonus, since we live in the grey, the sun doesn’t face our paint so fast and easy little touch ups have proven just that, easy peasy. Good Luck! If you’re interested in seeing it, hit me up. I plan to do something like this patio DIY in our new house next spring too!

I might have missed this response above, but I’m just curious. How long do you think this took you? The taping and the pattern work seems a bit daunting and I’m a painter! Maybe, the scale makes it easier!? You could could be a muralist with this DIY!

OK I think it’s safe to say I am *obsessed* with this faux tile project & am planning to DIY my own on my (currently rather sad) back concrete patio! But I’ve been looking online at porch & floor paints (both Behr and Valspar) and some of the reviews are pretty scary – did you have any issues like peeling, bubbling, or the painted surface getting slimy or slippery when it rains? (I’m in Portland, so this is a big concern!) Thank you! 🙂